ABB has announced a fourth generation of its direct torque control (DTC) motor control platform, with the claim that it will bring more accuracte motor speed and torque control, as well as the ability to control more types of motor.

The German motion control specialist Trinamic has announced a controller-driver chip for stepper motors that incorporates a new technology that adapts the motor velocity automatically to cope with sudden increases in load. The TMC5062 chip is a monolithic dual-axis motor controller that can deliver up to 1.5A, making it suitable for stepper motors up to Nema size 17, and covering most typical hybrid stepper applications.

UPDATED: Australian researchers have used novel magnetic materials to design and build small motors with energy efficiencies of up to 90%, compared to 60-70% for conventional designs. The new motors are also smaller in size for a given power output.

German researchers have developed a novel robotic system in which a platform carrying end-effectors is suspended from an array of eight ropes, which are driven by winches to position the platform precisely in three dimensions with six degrees of freedom.

A manufacturer of networking hardware is warning users of Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) systems that non-PoE equipment can be damaged if connected to these networks, especially if the network is extended beyond the 100m data transmission limit of copper-based Ethernet connections.

A Dutch company called Aito is offering a touch control technology that can be used to create a configurable user interface of up to 11 touch buttons that can replace conventional mechanical switches. It claims that the technology overcomes problems with other touch technologies that need a significant button travel or will not operate with gloved hands or through metal panel overlays.

Researchers at GE Global Research in the US are developing a technology that will allow machine designers to use special “inks” to print miniature sensors inside machinery and in other hot, harsh and hard-to-reach places. They say that the technology, called Direct Write, will allow them to put sensors where they’ve never been before, and could speed up the transition to link up machines to the Internet of Things.

A Florida company claims to have developed “the world’s lightest electric vehicle” – a 9.9lb (4.5kg) skateboard powered by a 2kW brushless DC motor which can propel the board at speeds of up to 20mph (32km/h) for an hour or more. In less than a month, a Kickstarter campaign to back the development has more than doubled its initial funding target of $90,000.

A group of German organisations – including Festo and the fortiss research institute – have developed an open software architecture for automation systems that allows factory production components to network and configure themselves intelligently and autonomously.

Toyota and the automotive parts supplier Denso have developed a silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor for use in automotive power control units (PCUs) which, they say, will boost hybrid vehicle (HV) efficiencies by 10% and reduce PCU sizes by 80%, compared to systems based on silicon devices. Toyota plans to start test-driving vehicles fitted with the new PCUs within a year.

US researchers have developed a switched reluctance motor with two stators that, they claim, produces significantly more power and torque for a given size and weight than traditional motor technologies, without using permanent magnets or rare-earth materials.

A British manufacturer of electric golf trolleys has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise £28,000 ($47,000) to design and build a universal motor controller for DC brushed and brushless motors. The company, called CompactCaddy, realised the need for such a controller when it could not find a suitable controller for testing an axial flux motor that it had developed.

A consortium of 30 organisations from nine European countries have built a prototype of a compact electric vehicle motor that needs no rare-earth materials, yet is smaller, lighter and more powerful than conventional EV motors. The motor has been developed as part of the €36m MotorBrain project which aims to improve the efficiency of EV drivetrains by up to 20%.